Meet the Team: Senior Lawyer

Meet the Team: Senior Lawyer

For our next ‘Meet the Team’ blog series, we are delighted to introduce Katerina Pshenichner who is one of our senior lawyers at Bayston Group.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a freewheeling freelance commercial lawyer, working for a number of boutique law firms (including Bayston Group). I do my best work when I “catch the waves of my energy levels” instead of working during set hours. This way, my work is always joyful and creative and never feels like work.

I was born in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to Australia with my family when I was 9 and now love all things Soviet, including film and music. For a few years, I formed and sang in a Soviet pop cover band!

What drew you to your area of legal specialisation?

Commercial law is both robust and dynamic and I love that combination. There is plenty of room for innovation and problem-solving, especially in this ever-changing era of tech. The majority of my clients are small businesses, who (in my opinion) make the most interesting clients. Small businesses find better ways of doing things because they can’t afford to be complacent. I love helping them brainstorm ways of achieving what they want without over-lawyering.

What is your proudest work-related achievement?

My proudest achievement is setting up my freelancing working arrangement and not being afraid of going against the norm of what remains to be a conservative profession. It felt empowering to walk away from a stable job and into the unknown of working for yourself. I have never been happier and more effective.

When you’re not at work, what do you enjoy doing?

When I am not drafting contracts, I am a high-energy chatterbox. I write and perform pop music, tell people I am writing a novel (which is not strictly true), travel, read fantasy novels and try really hard to make jokes (and laugh the hardest at them).

What can a client expect when they put themselves and their business’ legal needs in your hands?

A client can expect beautifully and simply drafted documents and thoughtful and pragmatic advice from a lawyer who is your team member rather than an unnecessary transaction cost.

How is the Bayston Group different from other law firms?

Definitely the team. Alister and Leisa are an indisputably impressive power couple. Each of them is a gun at law, genuinely care for their clients and appear to always have fun together. For them, it is never about churning out as much work as possible but about cultivating great client relationships and doing meaningful work.

Give us one tip for minimising legal risk in business.

As with all risk, awareness is key. While lawyers are there to help, it’s always a good idea to educate yourself on the main legal risks of your business. It’s easy to do and we can point you in the right direction toward free resources.